tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388921112024-02-07T19:46:24.771-05:00Confessions of a Parenting Book JunkieNancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646984444706819194noreply@blogger.comBlogger126125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38892111.post-3383561419906765342009-11-01T06:07:00.003-05:002009-11-01T06:43:10.249-05:00It's the worst blogger ever, Charlie Brown!Or rather, it's the worst digital scrapbooker ever, because y'all know I'm not doing this for any other reason (um, unless there's no one out there anymore and in that case, kids... when you read this years from now... I did my best!).<br /><br />So, when we last left 'Confessions of a Parenting Book Junkie', you'll recall that it was Clay's birthday, and I was kvetching over the <a href="http://parentbookjunkie.blogspot.com/2009/06/super-six.html">R2D2 cake from hell</a>. Drew's birthday was in September, and because I'm the 'WDSE' (see first paragraph), I failed to create a post about it. I'm sorry Drew!!! Here's what we did: we went to a Pirates game on a Sunday and the kids ran the bases (SHOCK!). The base running started out poorly because a random bee decided to randomly sting my random kid that happened to be my older son (not the birthday boy) for some random but clearly hostile reason. Clay then proceeded to scream and go into hysterics all the way onto the ball field, where he started to run through his tears, and then get tripped by some other kid thus renewing his commitment to the freak-out while he walked the rest of the bases. While we tried to commandeer some ice for him, Drew took the opportunity to lap the bases 4 or 5 times. I don't remember how many. I do remember a PNC Staffer trying to tackle him with each cross of home plate but the kid (now a big-boy 3 year old) was just too fast for her. I had to actually STAND on the HOME PLATE of PNC PARK home of the 17 SEASON LOSING PITTSBURGH PIRATES to get the birthday boy to knock it off. And then we went home and had leftover birthday cake.<br /><br />Drew's cake was a bizarre last minute choice of his... Transformers. This was okay, because as you'll remember, <a href="http://parentbookjunkie.blogspot.com/2009/06/super-six.html">I wasn't baking it</a>.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVlVWj41rnmwXfto3TtRlJP1ImWriz_yWmFhxHr47bY6UO9nNgT2nJEpgx-VIdUsZfZZF1O55DthwbDNJM1X0rLmWg1RYvATeT3Z-3pwMwh53FmPFBcq93y4uU5K56BhTwRneK/s1600-h/IMG_3851.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVlVWj41rnmwXfto3TtRlJP1ImWriz_yWmFhxHr47bY6UO9nNgT2nJEpgx-VIdUsZfZZF1O55DthwbDNJM1X0rLmWg1RYvATeT3Z-3pwMwh53FmPFBcq93y4uU5K56BhTwRneK/s400/IMG_3851.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399097993803587714" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPIwFz208gFiSnWEnoyxs6ppoQij0jlL4-08-Zhyphenhyphen_Uhrp0iEoRn8WbIEUOvar6MN-nNE9TzZQC6bx8BDSkTE-aJ3JgarYU7jEwkpfPxG12RPC2SScIgBE7CVaLegkx3AYucipI/s1600-h/IMG_3856.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPIwFz208gFiSnWEnoyxs6ppoQij0jlL4-08-Zhyphenhyphen_Uhrp0iEoRn8WbIEUOvar6MN-nNE9TzZQC6bx8BDSkTE-aJ3JgarYU7jEwkpfPxG12RPC2SScIgBE7CVaLegkx3AYucipI/s400/IMG_3856.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399098000126748610" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">This was taken at the moment Drew finished his first lap, and you can see he's thinking no one is watching and is deciding to take off for another one. Rascal.</span>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646984444706819194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38892111.post-88177155706003875472009-06-27T23:24:00.006-04:002009-06-27T23:57:06.478-04:00Super Six!!Today is Clay's 6th birthday, which is a fact that blows my mind because I'm certain that Mike and I just got married day before yesterday and I graduated from high school just last year. But, it's true. He's six. And in case you were counting, I'm not eighteen.<br /><br />That last sentence was painfully obvious to me at 12:36 this morning as I finally finished the R2D2 cake that Clay didn't really ask for, but since he wanted a Star Wars cake, I figured let's do R2D2. He would have been happy with his action figures on a sheet cake. Maybe a "May the Force Be With You" written on it. But I found a blog post describing an "easy" R2 comprised of 2 sheet cakes and half a 9" round cake. The author swore she put it together while nursing her umpteenth child and homeschooling the others. "Heck, I can do this!" Yeah, right.<br /><br />Mike said that for the time and cost I spent working on the darn thing, this cake represents a total expenditure of $160. At least that's when he stopped tallying. And then he told me that it looked pretty good, although it wasn't a technically accurate representation of R2D2. Had I not just spent 6 hours working on it, I would have chucked the cake at him.<br /><br />But it turned out pretty well, and Clay was pleased. Drew couldn't take his eyes off of it, but he's got a sweet tooth as bad as mine. At one point this morning I caught him licking one of R2's feet. I'm pretty sure the neighbors heard my scream.<br /><br />After cake and presents, we went downtown to the Pirates game. It was a GORGEOUS evening, and afterwards there were fireworks. Pittsburgh's a town mad for fireworks, and the show was spectacular. <br /><br />It's 11:48 and there's 12 minutes left in Clay's birthday #6. He's playing with his new Nintendo DS. I'm letting him stay up until 12:01, and then Birthdaypalooza is officially over. <br /><br />And in the future, I'm leaving the cake decorating to the local bakery.<br /><br />Happy Birthday Sweetheart. You were and still are worth all the effort.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTmWe7x2fSNW_iGuqUqkIwvOVexZBtJU1x_vAoqNpgy8lWtgdu_ls5JM5FTzBnnG5LddQM3yHQntZMCnykNMQqj33R9KunfEVigtsFiojKC8j33fudBnPdnSEolFh54knwQLI8/s1600-h/R2D2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTmWe7x2fSNW_iGuqUqkIwvOVexZBtJU1x_vAoqNpgy8lWtgdu_ls5JM5FTzBnnG5LddQM3yHQntZMCnykNMQqj33R9KunfEVigtsFiojKC8j33fudBnPdnSEolFh54knwQLI8/s400/R2D2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352221460641505874" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj94c8PWSk4nbbF2dcQXcGreaciDZ4FEBP048WCch4MfwbBTbYGEgzjl87hh3b32cQa7ELApK0nlMiYEXuOd9uO42wRanNKUCC-IQjy5yRUf4elIA_NIJFPVldGXPYA0aIRaw0y/s1600-h/R2D2_2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj94c8PWSk4nbbF2dcQXcGreaciDZ4FEBP048WCch4MfwbBTbYGEgzjl87hh3b32cQa7ELApK0nlMiYEXuOd9uO42wRanNKUCC-IQjy5yRUf4elIA_NIJFPVldGXPYA0aIRaw0y/s400/R2D2_2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352221638361932786" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeTjlfjTZZ_QUXVxmAx4zQ_qZzfIaUYuKOwyFn5JMu-SC0MavXl1f9dMW6JEHPRha9CBWyKKg1z7GyZP2MWtBpatU6ssy8aou4s58WsR_AGnK0UEVmopet0aLs6Q7kmVVJ2dTB/s1600-h/Clay_Alyssa_Gran.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeTjlfjTZZ_QUXVxmAx4zQ_qZzfIaUYuKOwyFn5JMu-SC0MavXl1f9dMW6JEHPRha9CBWyKKg1z7GyZP2MWtBpatU6ssy8aou4s58WsR_AGnK0UEVmopet0aLs6Q7kmVVJ2dTB/s400/Clay_Alyssa_Gran.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352221811343353346" /></a> <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYzN4TmhhJSts7VPN9UFoKEs1AMPiMVF1Dyoy115R6Gpnh8PnDdCAO4YTCNNd1lmKlVdLvb0gjr-Ylnu7gNVsLm66W_I5YP_Yp-bsqTIr4Tr4Hl_dTTEfdJA4RaOT9d2DtRM9S/s1600-h/fireworks.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYzN4TmhhJSts7VPN9UFoKEs1AMPiMVF1Dyoy115R6Gpnh8PnDdCAO4YTCNNd1lmKlVdLvb0gjr-Ylnu7gNVsLm66W_I5YP_Yp-bsqTIr4Tr4Hl_dTTEfdJA4RaOT9d2DtRM9S/s400/fireworks.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352222021795809058" /></a>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646984444706819194noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38892111.post-6069192369695457912009-06-17T23:26:00.002-04:002009-06-17T23:56:03.708-04:00Does the one in my other pants count?Since my birthday, I've become good friends with my insurance company. It changed in January, and I thought I was on top of those changes, but sadly not so much.<br /><br />Around my birthday, I faithfully have a well woman exam. "Happy Birthday", said my doctor, "here's a slip for a mammogram". I dutifully accepted it and made an appointment right away. I'm not messing around with cancer if I can help it. Sign me up for any and every screening available, that's my motto.<br /><br />While there, I asked about this patch of eczema that I've had for six years. Yes, since before Clay was born. And the only reason I asked is because Drew has eczema, and so I wondered if maybe I had an allergy that he also had (he's been tested, but only peanut had a reaction), and my doctor said "sure, why not" and referred me to an allergist.<br /><br />The allergist said "see a dermatologist. You're a grown woman for cryin' out loud! Allergies don't manifest like this in adults." I may have paraphrased that last part, but I'm pretty sure she kicked me out of her office with a 30 second comment such as this after a 90 minute wait on my part.<br /><br />And that is how I found myself at a HUGE dermatology practice. The doctor/resident looked at my spot and said: "Do you still have your uterus?" Confused, I explained that I was 40 and had my two kids and further children were unlikely and what the heck kind of phrasing was that anyway? She said she specifically asks female patients if we still have a uterus because if so, we could still get pregnant and the medicine she was going to recommend was SO POTENT that you couldn't even think about getting pregnant for 3 years after your last dose. <br /><br />"Oh. Well, does the one in my other pants count?", I asked.<br /><br />Dermatologists have no sense of humor.<br /><br />"Of course we'd have to test you weekly because there are other side effects like liver damage and kidney failure. So are you interested?"<br /><br />Less interested in my uterus but more so in my kidneys and liver, I asked if she had anything else. She shrugged. "Just some of the same stuff you have been taking, although there is this new cream that might not be covered by your insurance. I'll write you a scrip anyway. If it's not covered, I'll write you two others. Get those filled, mix them and it'll be almost as good."<br /><br />I dropped off the three prescriptions and sent Mike the next day to pick them up. He called afterwards. "Did you know that one prescription was $500? So I asked about the next one and they said it was $100. So then I asked them what else they had and they said the third was a generic for $15. I picked that up for you." I thanked him, but reminded him that I needed BOTH for it to be "almost as good" as the $500 cream. <br /><br />A few days later I went to the pharmacist. "Exactly how big is this $100 tube anyway?" She brought it out, and I inspected the merchandise. It would probably last me a long time. Was I worth it? Could I just continue to live with the scratchy patch? Ultimately I made the decision to buy it, not because I thought it would help me, but because I couldn't stand the thought of losing the $15 bucks on the one prescription I already had. Plus I considered it a 40th birthday present to myself.<br /><br />It's helped, and I'm supposed to go back to the dermatologist in a month for a follow up. But I think I'll skip it. I could save the co-pay. But if I do go, I'm going to take my uterus. I might lock up the liver and kidneys, though.Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646984444706819194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38892111.post-6118169012584818862009-06-17T23:15:00.003-04:002009-06-18T00:04:34.079-04:00Our Disney TripWay back at the beginning of March, we spent my precious annual leave hours for 2009 and drove to Orlando. We had to pay our respects to Double M, the Head Cheese himself... Mickey Mouse.<br /><br />And so it was on an early Saturday morning we left the house and travelled 8 hours to Charlotte, where my college roommate Rhonda and her family hosted us for the evening. I could have stayed the week there, but no, there was Magic to be had and so we left Sunday morning.<br /><br />Did you know that Disney World has a car care center? Well it does. We know because our front left tire nearly fell off. Fortunately, Disney replaced the wheel bearing for us (for a fee, of course. Nothing's free at Disney). But they did drop Mike back at the hotel, and pick him up at the Magic Kingdom when it was done. Service with a smile, for $500.<br /><br />Did you know that Disney World has a medical service where a doctor will come to your room if you're sick? Well it does. We know this because Mike developed a kidney stone the night before we left. Here's how my phone conversation with the front desk went:<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-style:italic;">Me: Can you recommend a 24 hour urgent care center?<br />Them: Would you like a doctor to come to your room?<br />Me: (Pause) How much does THAT cost?</span></blockquote><br /><br />Turns out, it costs about $350. But they'll give you a receipt for insurance, who will happily tell you it's part of your deductible!<br /><br />And that is how our cheap Disney vacation (a drive, Dad's Disney points, and only 2 parks) turned into a regularly priced Disney vacation.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizW5FGlNSfWEygFIk6dxZnQOB21sDtQUiHcZXFpNE8rcSUN5Yo3bKbvZLChXKVJ-puaZv4ATLuOVFMtYYVOcRsQCrgWaPmBQ4fxQq6MTW-h8ZjpfLqzulZPGa0Bxzy79b0iUYe/s1600-h/IMG_0258.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizW5FGlNSfWEygFIk6dxZnQOB21sDtQUiHcZXFpNE8rcSUN5Yo3bKbvZLChXKVJ-puaZv4ATLuOVFMtYYVOcRsQCrgWaPmBQ4fxQq6MTW-h8ZjpfLqzulZPGa0Bxzy79b0iUYe/s400/IMG_0258.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348503606447160866" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq0xFfB6TTtIAkdW5nJoO8vOhTBdcqgtnV50bu24YoI0wgkZOHlbUqRGCTAMHkRFEUs20CBf0SMCb_rAG7ox9fp4gc-28W4596OLDTFRPCqydtSo0z9I5EWnM-4R9lILcUtejz/s1600-h/IMG_0263.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq0xFfB6TTtIAkdW5nJoO8vOhTBdcqgtnV50bu24YoI0wgkZOHlbUqRGCTAMHkRFEUs20CBf0SMCb_rAG7ox9fp4gc-28W4596OLDTFRPCqydtSo0z9I5EWnM-4R9lILcUtejz/s400/IMG_0263.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348503604504436642" /></a>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646984444706819194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38892111.post-687372258729107482009-06-17T23:09:00.003-04:002009-06-17T23:15:26.006-04:00Well, hello stranger!While I wait for the iPhone 3.0 software to download, I thought I'd drop by and say hullo. Hullo!<br /><br />It's 11:00, and I really should be heading to bed, but things have been preventing reasonable bedtimes, and blog posts, for several weeks now. <br /><br />Here's a quick catch up...<br /><br />I turned 40!<br /><br />Mike and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary!<br /><br />A dermatologist asked me if I still had my uterus! (My response: does the one back home in my other pants count?) More on that next...<br /><br />I've been a gardening fool! But not so much a good one.<br /><br />It seems I've done nothing but work, work, work!<br /><br />The school year's over, and Clay's no longer a kindergartener!<br /><br />The Penguins won the Stanley Cup!<br /><br />I'd like a summer vacation, please.Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646984444706819194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38892111.post-7875634194101150242009-04-12T07:14:00.006-04:002009-04-12T08:48:18.508-04:00Easter PerspectivesWhile opening china cabinet drawers to see if the Easter Bunny left him an egg amongst my napkins, candle snuffer and cake knife, Clay wonders if the Easter Bunny would hide something inside our furniture. We tell him no.<br /><br /><blockquote>Me: "Because it's an invasion of privacy"<br />Mike: "Because the Easter Bunny has paws and can't open the drawers".</blockquote><br /><br />Drew, meanwhile, has abandoned the hunt, preferring the easy prey of marshmallow Peeps. The boys' baskets were light on candy this year since we knew the Easter Bunny (or E.B. as we know him) would bring them lots of jelly bean filled eggs. And Baba & Gigi and various relatives will probably ply them with sweets. Instead there were Dr. Seuss books, activity pads, some gardening tools and a little basil pot, bubbles and Bakugan. Basically, whatever I could pick up from the Target dollar bins, plus one toy. Later there will be dinner with Baba & Gigi, Uncle Nick and Aunt Marilyn, Nikia, Ryan, Nicholas, with loads of kielbasa, Ukrainian cheese, ham, deviled eggs, hreen (horseradish and beets) and Paska (Easter Bread), that the boys will turn their noses up to... in favor of marshmallow Peeps.<br /><br />When I was growing up, Easter was a Sunday where you had to get up early to go to a sunrise service, and were rewarded with a stunning basket of treats. Then we went to grandma's for dinner. But we usually went to dinner there every Sunday. For Mike, Easter was a solemn occasion marked by fasting, basket blessing, church services and then finally the joyous day when you could dig into all of the stuff his mom and baba had been working so hard on for a week. Today, we dig into the kielbasa as soon as the basket is blessed. Baba reminds us that HER mother would have had a fit to see it. But she cuts us another slice. <br /><br />For my mother-in-law, Easter was an EVENT. The basket was not touched until after Easter morning mass. She told me yesterday that her father and uncle would build a tomb for their church where a shroud was placed on Good Friday, after it had been carried outside and around the church three times. (Not to be outdone by the Ukrainians, the Italian Church in her neighborhood had a special crucifix where during the Good Friday mass the priest would remove nails from, and one by one the arms and legs of Jesus would fall off the cross.) On Holy Saturday, baskets were blessed and before evening mass, the shroud was removed from the tomb and was carried outside around the church three times again before returned to the altar so that it would be out of the tomb by Sunday morning. And on Easter Sunday, the most joyous day of the year for them, the church bells were open for anyone and everyone to ring. Parishioners shouted 'Christos Voskres!' (Christ is Risen!) over and over. For Baba as a girl, she didn't have to look far for Easter imagery. <br /><br />Last Saturday we attended Palm Sunday mass with Baba & Gigi. Morning mass is hard for Gigi now, so they go in the evening. The service is Byzantine and beautiful, although my mother-in-law knows that I could do without the incense and especially holy oil... too fragrant for me. "Sorry Nance", she whispered as we go up for the blessing "... there's 'goop' today." We receive palms and pussy willows... a Ukrainian tradition. Ukraine's climate isn't compatible to palms... and so worshippers received pussy willow branches in the Old Country. We bring our branches home and stick them in water. With any luck, they'll root and we can plant them in our yard. Last night was Holy Saturday services, where the Plaschenytsia (Ukrainian Holy Shroud) is removed and walked around the church three times. I stayed home with Drew because we knew a two hour service would be too much for him. But as the crew came home, with the Sheleheda family tradition of double cheese pizza, I could smell the incense in Clay's hair. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTZU8m9svq9i0f00dh63tc6rBrmh4qH33F787B8aGyvZbOkgZebxVWbVbpaxPUdtpAby1Srqzt4BYCx41-4BYbz7gWzQPtYe4krKxRrAvbSmtSNX8CylUbP9XxO2A5krwyNIJS/s1600-h/IMG_3573.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTZU8m9svq9i0f00dh63tc6rBrmh4qH33F787B8aGyvZbOkgZebxVWbVbpaxPUdtpAby1Srqzt4BYCx41-4BYbz7gWzQPtYe4krKxRrAvbSmtSNX8CylUbP9XxO2A5krwyNIJS/s400/IMG_3573.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323772698217252194" /></a>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646984444706819194noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38892111.post-75771887148698856042009-02-05T04:11:00.003-05:002009-02-05T04:22:00.262-05:00MusingsDid anyone do anything exciting over the weekend? No? I suppose it was just a simple, quiet winter weekend... especially here in Pittsburgh. Nope, nothing special at all happened.<br /><br />What? What's that you say? A football game? No.... no one here's interested at all in football. Why, Sunday was mom's birthday and I had planned months ago to take her to see <em>Jersey Boys</em>. A 6:30 curtain too, so it could even be an early night for both of us! I did think it was odd that everyone in the theater was wearing lots of black and gold colors. And for some reason, every now and then you could hear whispers of 'Steelers up...' and then mumbled numbers. But truthfully, I was just trying to focus on Frankie Valli's story. I mean, who really thinks about football... even championship football... especially if your city's team is in the game... when there's outstanding musical theater to be enjoyed?<br /><br />Of course, I did find it slightly odd at intermission when a woman shouted out "17-7!!!" in the ladies room. Not as odd as the collective squeals that erupted from all the stalls, though. I wonder what that was about?<br /><br />But then it dawned on me during the curtain call that people were focused on more than "a good night at the theater" when two of the Four Seasons ran on stage wearing 'Luv Ya Black and Gold' tee-shirts and twirling a Terrible Towel. Imagine!Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646984444706819194noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38892111.post-48769708619060302522009-01-11T20:47:00.002-05:002009-01-11T21:01:02.893-05:00Go Tell Aunt RhodyFrom Clay's Christmas Recital (pardon if the quality is bad. I haven't figured out the maze of Google Video or You Tube compression yet. So I just uploaded this video directly to Blogger.<br /><br /><OBJECT class=BLOG_video_class id=BLOG_video-fd1de74b5954c76d height=266 width=320 contentId="fd1de74b5954c76d"></OBJECT>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646984444706819194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38892111.post-79438803156215178982009-01-11T17:09:00.004-05:002009-01-11T17:22:33.649-05:00One year ago today...We moved into this house. In one year we've...<br /><br />Replaced the carpets and painted the joint<br />Bought a refrigerator and washer/dryer<br />Installed a swingset<br />Rebuilt the bowing retaining walls<br />Started one little boy in kindergarten and another in preschool<br />Planted 20 shrubs, countless flowers and 300 bulbs<br /><br />I suppose that's a start... happy anniversary to us!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8oh5_KRB0wN5KV-KnJez-Rfzg2tl5qHFIYVqvwzr9-dHYHQMKHDbH4bvixVAC_4S_Lewk1bH6VCbTcpBTCH9bGDCQrA2ndzkJ9m3fqV1Fd4kAKdIfo3yp2ZG2CgcUMyV1nzkQ/s1600-h/house.bmp"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8oh5_KRB0wN5KV-KnJez-Rfzg2tl5qHFIYVqvwzr9-dHYHQMKHDbH4bvixVAC_4S_Lewk1bH6VCbTcpBTCH9bGDCQrA2ndzkJ9m3fqV1Fd4kAKdIfo3yp2ZG2CgcUMyV1nzkQ/s400/house.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290164958326283218" /></a>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646984444706819194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38892111.post-49177410132533561132009-01-11T16:43:00.004-05:002009-01-11T16:47:03.930-05:00Here we go Steelers!First playoff game and Pittsburgh is EXCITED... here are pics from Friday's Terrible Tree event.<br /><br />I love that I work in a city with sponsored grown up pep rallies!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2xwlxncgB_bOJD-36G8RNNcRA1RIWpoeZFW2n-I4k9lbPyvaGHLZs34CPeI1jOlwh9tib0iAzspgat5S-dCxKZv0QV96MhPE7BXV3O1WWzIC3EkXh4sGf_heK4fouKmokfW8z/s1600-h/terrible+tree+007.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2xwlxncgB_bOJD-36G8RNNcRA1RIWpoeZFW2n-I4k9lbPyvaGHLZs34CPeI1jOlwh9tib0iAzspgat5S-dCxKZv0QV96MhPE7BXV3O1WWzIC3EkXh4sGf_heK4fouKmokfW8z/s400/terrible+tree+007.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290155503211036930" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxY0kaCS3lHuzikQMOJg_-WsamA7EH2Qyg8uy_5Gb05OPrO1tVnPaOINuNccPSlDyEOw5O2FrF5SJAkJY4d44_K0WD_vy2UPfhme1mP8uTBx45QwLBJtjH5ZlYb9gD072h0mmV/s1600-h/terrible+tree+002.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxY0kaCS3lHuzikQMOJg_-WsamA7EH2Qyg8uy_5Gb05OPrO1tVnPaOINuNccPSlDyEOw5O2FrF5SJAkJY4d44_K0WD_vy2UPfhme1mP8uTBx45QwLBJtjH5ZlYb9gD072h0mmV/s400/terrible+tree+002.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290155677759583266" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipenAkDm3j8qvVaN_9Jgty41Jl_gzaaa10S17utLBWR_HE1huqv3eOqvDfAera3TrqSvMRS2oYrvXxNztKFCoGFO-H_Ho1p6MCEAfDjTqmBMxNmi3do5d1JOxS-uTaBksQj7Vs/s1600-h/terrible+tree+001.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipenAkDm3j8qvVaN_9Jgty41Jl_gzaaa10S17utLBWR_HE1huqv3eOqvDfAera3TrqSvMRS2oYrvXxNztKFCoGFO-H_Ho1p6MCEAfDjTqmBMxNmi3do5d1JOxS-uTaBksQj7Vs/s400/terrible+tree+001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290155828781216914" /></a>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646984444706819194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38892111.post-16337562849914109802009-01-06T23:11:00.003-05:002009-01-06T23:14:36.466-05:00OrderHappy New Year! I'm slowly digging out from under my life. Between Christmas and work, I haven't had much time to myself. I'm in the middle of a wicked software upgrade that's still not neat and pretty. Sadly, this little project was supposed to be done by mid-December and here we are 3 weeks later... going and going and going. It's the Energizer Bunny of software upgrades. <br /><br />I have Christmas pictures and a violin video to post... I promise I'll get to it soon!Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646984444706819194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38892111.post-61828153381332971262009-01-06T23:10:00.003-05:002009-01-06T23:11:01.144-05:00I'm Twittering nowI don't know why... but if you Twitter too feel free to follow. I've got updates on the sidebar. We'll see how long this lasts. I'm not sure I understand the point.Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646984444706819194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38892111.post-15019597487996405452008-11-27T09:37:00.004-05:002008-12-07T09:07:30.426-05:00Macy's Thanksgiving Day ParadeA Thanksgiving scene from my living room. The Macy's parade is just starting, and this is the first float:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh29kOu6i7UvzSXWx2_PZ88stv0YTc_40jCDdUaOdVfVuYlAxQhtyMgOHGi5RtmyJtBzO41_ZHQ_jr2cyIhOGCsHmbKkB5RJHzyD97TYBj-n9jUj6CjsQn2o_-zvAbM1qy3Dbyo/s1600-h/IMG_3375.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh29kOu6i7UvzSXWx2_PZ88stv0YTc_40jCDdUaOdVfVuYlAxQhtyMgOHGi5RtmyJtBzO41_ZHQ_jr2cyIhOGCsHmbKkB5RJHzyD97TYBj-n9jUj6CjsQn2o_-zvAbM1qy3Dbyo/s400/IMG_3375.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277049098417892674" /></a><br /><br /><br />My boys observed the following:<br /><br />Clay: "A car float! Sweet!"<br /><br />Drew: "Happy Lego Star Wars Day!"Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646984444706819194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38892111.post-15555405351657920952008-11-09T20:50:00.003-05:002008-11-09T21:23:04.267-05:00A Sentimental MomentYesterday during one of our breaks between violin lessons, Clay and I found ourselves at the campus Starbucks. We've got 3 classes with a 45 minute break in between each (clearly I don't know the correct people to bribe) so thank goodness for modern campus conveniences. Duquesne just renovated it's student union, which Mike will grumpily complain if asked that it was a dump when he went, but do keep in mind that he can be prone to hyperbole. Now, it's a centrally located building with many comfy sofas and chairs, a bank, a bookstore and a Starbucks.<br /><br />We arrived in the middle of a very gray, blustery day. Pittsburgh is getting ready for winter, and the leaves where a' swirlin'. Juggling a violin case, my purse, and a tote bag, along with my five year old, I scurry to the counter and order a 'not so hot chocolate' for Clay and a venti Eggnot latte for me. Since I love the eggnog latte, I refrain from my usual comment of 'what does Venti <span style="font-style:italic;">mean</span>, anyway?' I suspect the collegiate baristas are not in the mood. Clay skips to a corner sofa, I grab our drinks and after testing his for the appropriate level of 'not so hotness', I sip my latte and rejoice. I plop into a green velour chair next to him and check my watch... 25 minutes until we need to leave for class. Outside the glass windows a big gust of wind is pushing leaves along on their merry route, and I'm able to survey the scene. <br /><br />Interestingly, for a Saturday afternoon the place is practically empty. There's a student in a hoodie sweatshirt across the room, iPod buds in ears, hairband in place, a couple of binders and books on the table. Another couple by the window, and us. "Kids today", I mutter. When I was in college, a place like this would probably have been teeming with activity. Then I look down at my $4 drink and realize that I'm wrong. My friends and I wouldn't have had the money needed to hang out in a Starbucks.<br /><br />Clay's grabbed my iPhone and is playing a puzzle game, so I have nothing to occupy my brain except my thoughts. And the coffee shop music, which was very, very good. Etta James* followed by James Taylor, and then as if God was trying to yank me back 20 years, Debussy's Clair de Lune. Not that this song is significant to my college years, although that was when I first read Terrence McNally's fabulous play. No, the song itself is better than a time machine. No matter where I am, if it's playing I'm always reminded of something. It's such a beautiful piece of music. When I was pregnant with Clay I mentioned to my buddy Ed that I wanted to play that song over and over again to my belly because I had read that you should pick a calming piece of music to play to the baby in utero, and then after it's born you could play it whenever the baby was freaking out, and he would calm down. I loved this idea, and was sure that I had discovered the secret to parenthood. What foe is cholic against beautiful music? Right. The next day, thoughtful Ed gave me a cd he burned with several different versions of Clair de Lune. I spent a few nights with headphones on my belly until one of the many baby books I was reading slapped me back to reality. <br /><br />The song has ended and I look up and notice that hoodie sweatshirt girl now has her head on her table. And in those few quiet moments of reflections I realized something. I am so glad I am not her. All night studying and all night socializing are long gone for me. Those problems have been replaced with far greater worries (a mortgage, a paycheck, a family). I should yearn for the days where the next paper or exam or boy occupied my thoughts. But now I have more interesting and more important considerations, as well as a consistent eight hours of sleep.<br /><br />At Last!*Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646984444706819194noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38892111.post-72754097576655363722008-11-05T20:35:00.003-05:002008-11-05T20:53:05.832-05:00HallelujahIt's over. Amen. We have a president-elect and took a huge step forward as a country. <br /><br />This is for Clay and Drew. Years from now you will be old enough to vote, and there are a few things you must do.<br /><br />First, VOTE. Don't cop out and say it doesn't matter and your opinion doesn't count. It counts. Vote. Do it.<br /><br />Second, have an educated opinion. Read up on the candidates and the issues, and seek out many different sources for this information. Read the New York Times AND the Washington Times. Watch CNN and Fox News. Even if it makes you want to roll your eyes. Then when you make a decision, put it aside and take a few days to embrace the other side's views. After that, if your original decision still rings true to you, it's a good one.<br /><br />And hopefully you will learn this in either a high school civics class or a college ethics course, but just in case... we need only two things in our leaders. And they are intelligence and integrity. And just like them, you also must be smart and you must be kind. If you have the brains but not the compassion so what? You have no empathy, and no soul. If you don't work hard to learn all that you can but are exceptionally nice, then people will walk all over you.<br /><br />Participate. You really can do whatever you set your mind to.Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646984444706819194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38892111.post-12272612482593301962008-11-01T20:45:00.003-04:002008-11-01T21:09:09.325-04:00'Twas the Night Before HalloweenA couple of years ago we were at Disney World's Magic Kingdom a few weeks before Halloween and we got to attend Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. That was loads of fun, and Clay really had a good time. He was a little older than 2, and I made an informal promise to myself that every year we'd do something special just before Halloween.<br /><br />I say 'informal', because we haven't really done anything special ever since. When Clay was three (pumpkin costume year), we had just started our massive home renovation and the yard was completely torn up and we were beginning to wonder what we had gotten ourselves into. We just went trick or treating and called it a Halloween.<br /><br />When Clay was four (last year... Batman), we had just left Fairfax for Pittsburgh. In fact, Mike and Clay were travelling to Pittsburgh that afternoon. We decided to let Clay enjoy his last day at his lovely little preschool. We couldn't bear to pull him out before the big party. Thank goodness they arrived on Halloween because trick or treating in a new neighborhood gave us something else to focus on. I think we were all a little sad that day.<br /><br />This year, I was determined to find a fun party to take the kids to. The Pittsburgh Zoo is supposed to be wonderful, and they have trick or treat events for the two weeks before Halloween. We've been meaning to go to the zoo all year, but haven't made it yet. What with violin and t-ball, I wasn't about to schedule anything else on the weekend. Ditto for pumpkin patches. I hear there are some great ones, but we didn't make it. HOWEVER, we are members of the Pittsburgh Children's Museum, which is fantastic and I was delighted to discover that they were having a 'Spooktacular' on October 30th. Not a weekend event! We could go after work and the kids could get in their costumes and we'd all have a grand few hours at a Halloween party at the Children's Museum. Plus it was free because we were members. Great!<br /><br />Except that there really wasn't a party after all. It was just extended museum hours. And please don't misunderstand... the museum's a blast and there's much to do. But when it's the night before Halloween and you're calling it a 'Spooktacular', don't you think you could have a cookie and some apple cider ready for the kids? After an hour Mike mumbled 'You know, mom & dad said they're trick or treating tonight in Ambridge and they were disappointed they weren't going to get to see the kids.' Hello! Why didn't you say something sooner? We were gone before you could say 'BOO'.<br /><br />And the search for pre-Halloween fun continues. Perhaps I'm expecting too much, because I am holding everything up to the Disney bar. <br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Rt2x2WOBYIeKjOHXqlt8be7Bnm5L_69AluzyrI7abXiToiXDXCYLHk3QjpjNKfEdPJsdGcUJ5zbjGrVDGjxSjt7Qu4swVVgGnVY-V8fZGT41ii3uwxzOSv5GthL4iGjY_j6j/s1600-h/IMG_3215.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Rt2x2WOBYIeKjOHXqlt8be7Bnm5L_69AluzyrI7abXiToiXDXCYLHk3QjpjNKfEdPJsdGcUJ5zbjGrVDGjxSjt7Qu4swVVgGnVY-V8fZGT41ii3uwxzOSv5GthL4iGjY_j6j/s400/IMG_3215.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263858307009762386" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyJpYBLyihmoV9w_0mRv7A5yuVmqeXcOyEm_xWPvJN_06bW8db5U0aQi__iNpc9X5fxIfWcMqCZB1sc1ihcU2gU4SmKcA-J2iWH8j5frrJCPg0T0fwzFSIJkxnNjPtr5QoJoT7/s1600-h/IMG_3243.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyJpYBLyihmoV9w_0mRv7A5yuVmqeXcOyEm_xWPvJN_06bW8db5U0aQi__iNpc9X5fxIfWcMqCZB1sc1ihcU2gU4SmKcA-J2iWH8j5frrJCPg0T0fwzFSIJkxnNjPtr5QoJoT7/s400/IMG_3243.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263858310185090322" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3VuQsjje0usQECkAkkxl-Zb_Wd9w2qmgtWouMreoePrhxFGxu0MuL1wPgIFKdTIEkdglM6EVDPADU0BHpU1ShVktyYTC0C-Rbv3IUB7c8i7Cvc9tZILI1joC6fFyqsLS1AVlm/s1600-h/IMG_3286.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3VuQsjje0usQECkAkkxl-Zb_Wd9w2qmgtWouMreoePrhxFGxu0MuL1wPgIFKdTIEkdglM6EVDPADU0BHpU1ShVktyYTC0C-Rbv3IUB7c8i7Cvc9tZILI1joC6fFyqsLS1AVlm/s400/IMG_3286.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263858316532336130" /></a><br /><br />Oh, and as for Halloween itself? Mike and the boys (Clay went as Batman Returns, Drew as Bob the Builder) went out with next door neighbor Darth Vader and his dad. Mike said DV's dad handed him a beer and off they went. They caught up with a group of 7 mom's escorting their children, and all the ladies had wine coolers. Then they ran into a large group of kids escorted by their parents. One of the dads had a rolling cooler he was pulling behind him. Clearly Halloween's fun for the whole family in our neighborhood! And here I was worried about the lack of progressive dinners.... <br /><br />I joke, but truly, they all had a lot of fun, and even though we live on a busy residential street, all of the parents worked the road and forced the cars to slow down and kept an eye on everyone's kid. It was really a nice evening, and who needs a 'planned community' to get to know your neighbors? Hooray for our new neighborhood!Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646984444706819194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38892111.post-19775727208590635442008-10-12T21:31:00.002-04:002008-10-12T22:24:21.658-04:00Something fishy's going onRemember <a href="http://parentbookjunkie.blogspot.com/2007/03/things-kids-say.html">Blue Blue</a>? You'd think we would have learned, but we're attempting fish experiment # 2 (Electric Boogaloo!)<br /><br />Clay wanted a dog, and when we told him no, he shifted focus and again asked for a fish. We agreed, figuring that if we got a proper aquarium, a couple of fish could be peaceful and an interesting science project for the kids. But, we wanted it to be something Clay had to work for, and so we told him that we'd get an aquarium after he learned his next violin song, <span style="font-style:italic;">Lightly Row</span>, well enough to perform in a recital. I figured it would take him until Christmas. Of course, I overestimated. Clay worked on it for one month, and he's performing it in next weekend's recital. So, we've started preparing for a fish house.<br /><br />All in all, I think we should have okay'ed the dog instead. We went to the pet store on Monday and bought a tank, filter, gravel and conditioner. This cost us $80. I balked at the stand b/c it was only a 15 gallon tank, and I figured we could find a nice flat surface for it. As we left the store, the sales clerk called helpfully: "Don't forget to make sure the tank is perfectly level. One gallon of water weighs 8 pounds, and a 15 gallon tank that isn't perfectly level will have too much stress on the joints."<br /><br />Okay, so the quick math meant we had to find a spot for 130 pounds of weight contained in a footprint of 24 inches by 12 inches. We had nothing.<br /><br />Tuesday, Mike went out to find a stand. He found one for $90, and tried to put it together before I got home. Half of the cam connectors broke, and somehow he got one of the dowels in the wrong hole and couldn't get it out. By the time I got home he was wild eyed and tousled, looking like the wild man of Borneo. I sent him out for more cam connectors and tried to get the dowel out. Clay hopped up and down eager to set up the tank. He helpfully went and put on his play tool belt, and offered us his plastic hammer for dowel dislodging. By 9 p.m., we had the tank set up, and an overtired little boy who didn't understand why we still had no fish.<br /><br />Wednesday night, we went to a pet store recommended by a colleague. Goldmine! These folks were GREAT. We looked at all their freshwater tropicals, helpfully color coded by temperament and ease of care. We were focusing on the black and yellow labeled fish. "Peaceful" and "Easy" said the legend, and I started humming the Eagles. We grabbed a heater (because it was clear that freshwater tropicals instead of goldfish were the way to go) and some plastic plants. I had originally thought live plants were what I wanted, but the sales woman suggested I stick with plastic until we knew what we were doing. Clay grabbed a sunken ship and two pirate skeleton figurines. The sales woman said we needed a bacteria conditioner. Total with a 10% "new customer" discount: $75.<br /><br />Have you been doing the math? We're now into this simpler-than-a-dog pet project for nearly $200. And we have yet to buy any fish.<br /><br />Saturday after violin, Mike and Clay went back to the pet store. We were going to get some fish! Upon everyone's advice, we were only going to get 3 little fish. We would add two or three fish for the next several weeks until we had about 10-12 fish total. An hour after they left, Mike and Clay returned witb 3 neon tetras named Roger, Pete and Keith. We introduced them to the tank per the store's instructions and then we spent the rest of the afternoon just looking at the tank. It was all worth it! Last night we turned off the light and said goodnight to the band.<br /><br />This morning the boys and I said good morning to the fish and had some toast. A little later we checked on the tank and strangely, the trio was now a duet. Mike took a look but the third, which we figured was Keith going on a bender, was still MIA. We figured he was enjoying the sunken ship, and I went off for a shower so we could get to church. As I was drying my hair, Mike came in the bathroom and said he'd found Keith in the filter. Dead. We put him in a little cup to return to the store, which was closed today. However, Mike went to PetsMart this afternoon to replace him. We didn't want to upset Clay.<br /><br />Neon tetra #4, "John" was introduced to the tank at 2 pm this afternoon. At 3:30, another tetra bit the dust, for lack of an aquatically appropriate metaphor. Perhaps little Pete, for lack of his namesake's guitar, used a pirate skeleton instead and little John couldn't handle the stress? I dunno, but Clay noticed this time, and much wailing and teeth gnashing ensued. <br /><br />I was concerned that we were really doing something wrong, but I couldn't figure out what. We had the water tested, and it was fine. We were introducing fish slowly. We chose easy fish. Finally a couple of comments on an aquarist's bulletin board told us the ugly truth: "Tetras: they'll either last forever or will die on you in a couple of days".<br /><br />Indeed. Statistically speaking, that's about right. We bought 3 + 1 tetras and now have two. Both tetras and rock stars could use an intervention.Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646984444706819194noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38892111.post-2165930165626720992008-10-12T21:27:00.002-04:002008-10-12T21:29:59.866-04:00True ConfessionsTonight at dinner Clay had to get something off his chest.<br /><br />"Mommy, do you remember a few weeks ago when I told you that my favorite color was blue and not red? Well... I was wrong. It's really red. Sorry."<br /><br />Glad we got that straight!Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646984444706819194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38892111.post-70786589980611295322008-10-10T21:37:00.003-04:002008-10-10T21:44:48.451-04:00We interrupt this crisis for a momentary diversionNever mind that the world's economy is on the verge of collapsing...<br /><br />Or that this presidential election is getting uglier and uglier...<br /><br />Or that my diet is completely derailed and I'm a little depressed...<br /><br />I give you a boy and his bubble mower!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqsUUxmmmVLSPl5omWfu38dHA38-FCBMN5Nq2nmq6-KgSIZWlbIjhk5mVQtSpsZZOp08i9ElmcheEudlWGlb5ksgYgC6BcruYhxHnaGR6km_71WfVW1rQchN06bHtrB1gjcLx/s1600-h/bubble+mower.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqsUUxmmmVLSPl5omWfu38dHA38-FCBMN5Nq2nmq6-KgSIZWlbIjhk5mVQtSpsZZOp08i9ElmcheEudlWGlb5ksgYgC6BcruYhxHnaGR6km_71WfVW1rQchN06bHtrB1gjcLx/s400/bubble+mower.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5255706180073409458" /></a>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646984444706819194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38892111.post-64375664626557540572008-10-02T23:09:00.003-04:002008-10-02T23:14:17.432-04:00Something to CelebrateOoh! But here's hope for our future.... Clay's READING! He's recognizing so many words, and I just couldn't be prouder. Every night he goes through his library book and sounds out new words. This week he's reading <span style="font-style:italic;">Red Fox and His Canoe</span>.<br /><br />And Drew! Drew's doing so well in preschool. Mike says that now when he drops him off, Drew says 'Bye Bye Daddy', and if Mike doesn't leave immediately, Drew comes back and says 'Daddy, kiss. Bye bye!'.<br /><br />Plus we moved him to a big boy bed tonight. And just like that, I'm out of babies...Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646984444706819194noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38892111.post-39134746001951420012008-10-02T22:45:00.003-04:002008-10-02T23:03:16.255-04:00My head hurtsI just finished watching the VP debates, and now I need to crack open a great big bottle of Advil. I'm just so sad that I can't get excited about any candidate. And I have to wonder if this is a sign of the times? Are the days gone when the average person (Joe Sixpack as Sarah Palin says ad nauseum... ugh) can't get excited about a candidate? Has the media killed our enthusiasm with constant overexposure? CNN had a 'special' for HD viewers... in the side bars you could watch SIX pie charts with analysts 'scoring' the candidates during the whole shebang. I'm a little cross eyed now... and my head hurts from trying to count the score cards. Washingtonpost.com, I had thought, would have an online discussion going. Nope, they've moved into 'tweets', which I just can't take seriously. CBS had a little game where you could pick which state would go to which candidate and watch the electoral votes build. ABC and NBC had live blogs, but they weren't refreshed all that often. I should know. I clicked 'Refresh' so much my index finger is a little sprained.<br /><br />We are on the verge of something truly historic... for the first time we will NOT have two white guys running this country. So why am I all 'Meh' about these choices? Electing a president should be about voting for competence and intelligence. Instead it's a popularity contest. Our parties have embraced mediocrity, and that's all I see whenever I listen to the radio, watch TV, read the paper, surf the 'net. Disappointing. <br /><br />Of course, I could be just completely pissed off that my retirement accounts have lost 10% of their value in September. Oy vey. Forget the Advil. Somebody hand me a drink.Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646984444706819194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38892111.post-49948727184581431582008-09-25T21:46:00.004-04:002008-09-25T21:54:59.479-04:00Egad!... School's started!I'm the worst mom blogger in the world... Clay started kindergarten a month ago and I haven't posted one word about it.<br /><br />You know what's weird about kindergarten? We have yet to talk with his teacher in any meaningful way. By the first day of preschool, I was on a first name basis with his teacher and I had her email address. With kindergarten, I've only managed a 'Hi, I'm Clay's mom' at the ice cream social. I didn't even get to shake her hand since she was on duty and her arm was up to its elbow in an ice cream carton.<br /><br />I'm looking forward to November just so I can attend a conference and find out how my kid's doing in public school.<br /><br />Oh! And on top of all that, Drew started preschool. We were quite worried because he's the youngest in the class, and he's a handful. But you know, he's surprised us all. He's doing really well, and he hasn't had any separation issues. His teacher mentioned that he was hitting, but we've pretty much gotten that under control with 'keep your hands to yourself.' The kindergarten could take some cues from the preschool on parental communication.Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646984444706819194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38892111.post-13036335460385058322008-09-25T21:40:00.002-04:002008-09-25T21:45:41.835-04:00RandomnicityMy brother's requested more posting... I shall comply!<br /><br />We've been enjoying a nice visit from Gran. She always makes the trek for birthdays, and in September we celebrate both Drew's and Mike's. It's a birthday extravaganza! Drew turned two, and he got a cowboy hat, Playdough, and a trampoline. That last one is more a gift for me than him. I'm tired of kids jumping on our couch! Mike at first was quite enthusiastic about the trampoline. That is, until it arrived and he had to put it together. Three hours, a quart of sweat and four people later, it was done. And we're never taking it apart.<br /><br />In other news... who's ready for the presidential election to be over? Can I get an AMEN?!?Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646984444706819194noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38892111.post-53910443178516507022008-09-10T20:55:00.004-04:002008-09-10T21:03:56.491-04:00ScreamDo not be fooled by this boy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wQ540FFpHwdpmMVBZOWTOIM6bSsTvezlZSaQJvG6NdTQvhjdP3wQm8_EbCjFWaQ_bJSTyvHS7rbG_25Bnv5lp8XiUrWTN9-4LtaMfQwitfVNeE_rZD5xWjf7JzkuA5XDI4Eo/s1600-h/IMG_3102.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wQ540FFpHwdpmMVBZOWTOIM6bSsTvezlZSaQJvG6NdTQvhjdP3wQm8_EbCjFWaQ_bJSTyvHS7rbG_25Bnv5lp8XiUrWTN9-4LtaMfQwitfVNeE_rZD5xWjf7JzkuA5XDI4Eo/s400/IMG_3102.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244562540295262850" /></a><br /><br />He looks like a mild mannered blue eyed angel<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8t5JDBexjlOcSFzjG1k66QKQnBYqZKG48XyR_LsURRNawJhyphenhyphenxI42n71EnphpzapNnxxBIU-lXTc3T27cKuASzjS5XUAAcJSwY97GW6jqxsz2LXF-JaD6Etde6qr4HqC1A_RN5/s1600-h/IMG_3122.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8t5JDBexjlOcSFzjG1k66QKQnBYqZKG48XyR_LsURRNawJhyphenhyphenxI42n71EnphpzapNnxxBIU-lXTc3T27cKuASzjS5XUAAcJSwY97GW6jqxsz2LXF-JaD6Etde6qr4HqC1A_RN5/s400/IMG_3122.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244562875988918226" /></a><br /><br />But in truth, he is precocious. And his lungs have tremendous capacity.Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646984444706819194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38892111.post-80730394764056536042008-08-13T21:34:00.003-04:002008-08-13T21:37:24.704-04:00Heaven<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixgFz8Isx4K8uQdJypdSOMZnpGHH5Zo7iEGJSbTLr7DPpNeaDjtKVjXPPUHb9fe_wjDcgGB3W3huJcfDPVfShRlFlwxyLfGQpjJOhAkYssWG98OIPp8-B9zsNzSvlhnxsibW-P/s1600-h/Heaven.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixgFz8Isx4K8uQdJypdSOMZnpGHH5Zo7iEGJSbTLr7DPpNeaDjtKVjXPPUHb9fe_wjDcgGB3W3huJcfDPVfShRlFlwxyLfGQpjJOhAkYssWG98OIPp8-B9zsNzSvlhnxsibW-P/s400/Heaven.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234181230560706114" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnR_saO7JNazXbM7FXyUhTxpgW3NjKTf2Cc155MMTABY2asasydR3Lmk5NReJ-EF6086ddkptSvd7IvHvZI7q9aiFJzaW-Is97y1A8m98wPm64V0TLRigVLBEzAsGMV_NLjQ_j/s1600-h/Heaven1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnR_saO7JNazXbM7FXyUhTxpgW3NjKTf2Cc155MMTABY2asasydR3Lmk5NReJ-EF6086ddkptSvd7IvHvZI7q9aiFJzaW-Is97y1A8m98wPm64V0TLRigVLBEzAsGMV_NLjQ_j/s400/Heaven1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234181233168196610" /></a><br /><br /><em>'Tis the season for yummy tomato sandwiches!</em>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646984444706819194noreply@blogger.com1